Dysfunctional

Chapter 9

Now

Obsession: a state in which someone thinks about someone or something constantly or frequently especially in a way that is not normal.

Being away from her was a physical pain. She was my drug and I was addicted. I did not want to share her with anyone; I also did not want to cause her pain. She was avoiding me and I will not stand for it. I tried calling her phone again, pacing back and forth before her door. I had banged on her door over and over again and got no response. Her phone was going directly to voice mail. Images of her lying lifeless in a tub with pills scattered all over the floor flashed before my eyes, it made my stomach sick and made me even more frantic.

My mother had committed suicide when I was fourteen. I had found her lifeless body submerge in her bath tub, an empty pill bottle and a broken wine glass on the floor. The image would forever be imprinted on my mind. I dug the heels of my hands into my eye sockets. I could not stand to see the image of Paige like that. I leaned my head against the door trying to pick up any movements behind it.

"Paige, if you are inside please just make a sound that way I can know you are alive." I pleaded.

The apartment door next to hers opened. A middle aged man stood at the door, he gave me a tired look. "No one is inside the apartment; she left yesterday and I do not think she came back. So please stop banging on her door, you sound pitiful."

I clenched my fists; I was a breath away from beating his face in. "What time did she leave?"

He shrugged. "I heard her leave early yesterday morning, like always."

"Are you sure you did not hear her come back."

"What am I? The neighbourhood watch? I don't know, just stop pounding on the door and hounding like a dog." He said a disgruntled look on his face. He stepped back into his apartment and closed the door.

I kicked Paige's apartment door angrily and it rattled. I leaned my back against the door, then slide down it and sat on the floor. I had other important things to do, but I had no desire to do anything, not when Paige was missing. My mind would never focus. I needed to see her alive and breathing like I needed air.

Why did Sarah have to get in my way? This was all her fault. My one night mistake with Sarah came back to bite me in the ass. If only I had met Paige first. Sarah had threatened to tell Paige everything; she and her inquisitive mind, sticking her nose into where it did not belong. I could not allow her to mess everything up. I could not lose Paige; I could not help thinking that this was all a part of Sarah's plans. Get killed to draw a ridge between Paige and me. Even in death she haunted me.

A female cleared her throat and I looked up instantly. She seemed to be in her late forties; she wore blue skinny jeans, a red blazer over a cotton blouse and a brown leather bag over her shoulder. Her makeup was well done, her lips were rose red, her hair shoulder length and bouncy, her eyes dark and questioning. I got to my feet; she seemed to be about two inches shorter than me.

"Hi." A sweet smile replaced her questioning stare. "Are you ok?"

"Yes. I was just waiting for my friend to come back."

"Who is your friend?" her brows furrowed in concern.

"The girls that live here."

"Sarah and Paige?"

"Yes." My curiosity got the best of me. Was this Paige's mother? They had never met before. "My Name is Adam, Paige is my girlfriend."

She looked at me surprised, so it was Paige's mom.